Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 60018 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60018 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 300(@200wpm)___ 240(@250wpm)___ 200(@300wpm)
“Are you even listening to me?” Cassandra asked, her voice shrill. “You already know why I had to come have a word. Does family mean nothing to you? How could you implicate your brother in a break-in when he’s fresh out of prison?” She lowered her voice on the last word as if the fact was too embarrassing to say out loud.
Raven did her best not to roll her eyes. It wasn’t like anyone here knew or cared who Cassandra Kane or her precious son Lance were.
“I implicated him because it was obvious who’d broken in.” Raven didn’t bother to explain how to a woman who wouldn’t believe her anyway. “I just told the police what I think is true. It’s up to them whether or not they investigate or question him. Besides, if your favorite child is as innocent as you say, they won’t bother him again.” This time Raven did treat Cassandra to an eye roll.
Undeterred from her rant, Cassandra placed her hands on her hips and went on. “Caroline,” she emphasized the name. “It’s your fault Lance was sent away in the first place. Now you’re trying to get him sent to that horrid place again. You’ve always had an issue with him and for no reason.” She shifted her Chanel purse higher on her shoulder.
Raven studied the woman whose house she grew up in, amazed as always that Cassandra truly believed her words.
“I had an issue with Lance because he terrorized me. I testified against him because I found him in the middle of assaulting my roommate and about to rape her.” Raven’s voice rose with every pertinent and awful fact. “And I’d think a woman of your stature and supposed intelligence would know better than to blame the victim, or the eyewitness.”
“It’s your fault!” she said, not for the first time. “We took you in and you made Lance crazy, flaunting your body and teasing him, coming into the hallway in a towel, of all things. And you turned Caleb against me. He believes every lie that comes out of your mouth!”
Jesus. The woman was truly insane. And the patrons and employees had stopped what they were doing to watch and listen. Raven was horrified but there was no stopping Cassandra once she got started.
“You have no appreciation, Caroline Kane. I could have left you to rot in foster care but I wanted a little girl and the doctors said I couldn’t have children. Then I got you. Unruly, disobedient…”
Raven folded her arms across her chest, the only defensive measure she could find. The words were nothing she hadn’t heard before and most of it was untrue. She might not have been the daughter Cassandra wanted but she obeyed the rules at home and did what was asked of her. She just hadn’t been a frilly, bow-wearing child. Raven normally ignored these tirades but she wasn’t alone this time, she was at her place of employment where people knew her. It was embarrassing.
If Cassandra regretted adopting her, Raven felt the same way. She’d have been better off rolling the dice with the foster care system and if her mother wasn’t so busy going off on Raven and creating a scene, Raven would have told her as much.
But with every jab against her, more people stared, and Raven withdrew further into herself. This. This was what had driven her to write down her angry, dark feelings, creating poetry with sad and somber themes. Dark stories… until Remy.
“What the hell is going on?” As if she’d conjured him, Remy joined them, Stevie trailing behind. Raven assumed her friend had let him know what was happening up front.
Cassandra stopped yelling and glanced at Remy. As always, one look at a handsome, younger man, and she morphed into a fake seductress, batting her eyes at him. “I was just giving my daughter a piece of my mind,” she said with a sneer on her face.
“I apologize if I made a scene but you see, she’s trouble, always has been and—”
“Quiet!” Remy bellowed.
Yep. He raised his normally calm voice and yelled at Cassandra.
Stepping up beside Raven, Remy wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her against him, causing Cassandra’s mouth to open in a perfect, shocked O.
“Mrs. Kane, if you don’t want me to call the police and have you arrested for creating a disturbance in my place of business, you’ll leave. Now.”
“But she—”
“Raven did nothing wrong. And if you come near her again, I will personally take her to file a restraining order against you. I have a room full of witnesses, all of whom are her friends and would be only too happy to give a statement.”
Cassandra narrowed her gaze. “There is no way you can get a restraining order for a simple disagreement. Besides, I have connections everywhere.” She sniffed, raising her nose in the air.